Condoms

While condoms of some kind are one of the oldest forms of contraception, today’s mostly latex-based condoms are a highly effective form of birth control and a reliable method of preventing the transmission of most STDs, including HIV, syphilis, Chlamydia, gonorrhea and more. Cheap, widely available and with a very high success rate (less than 2% break or fail) when used correctly, there’s a good reason that condoms are most guys’ go-to contraceptive method.

Male-worn condoms function pretty simply — by covering the penis with a thin sheet of material, they physically block semen from entering a sexual partner’s body. There was a lot of hype around the development of the female condom a few years back — think of a male condom in reverse, a sheath that is inserted into the vagina, forming a seal around the point of penetration — but these never really took off, in part because they are less reliable than the tried-and-true male condom.

Does sex wearing a condom feel as good as unprotected sex? Er, sadly no. But there’s nothing sexy at all about an unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease, and after all your privates have given you, don’t they deserve a little protection?